Prussian Reserve Infantry: 1813-15

Part II: Organisation

By Robert Mantle

It is one thing to declare mobilization; another to form
a collection of men into an army. Reserve Battalions of the
Prussian Infantry were officially established on March 1
1813, and until July were considered as part of their
parent, or Stamm-Regiment.

In March 1813, the Prussian Regular Infantry consisted of
twelve Regiments. Each had two numbers; one was its
precedence in the Line, and the other, precedence in the
province it recruited from.

No. 1

First East Prussian Infantry Regiment

No. 2

First Pomeranian Infantry Regiment

No. 3

Second East Prussian Infantry Regiment

No. 4

Third East Prussian Infantry Regiment

No. 5

Fourth East Prussian Infantry Regiment

No. 6

First West Prussian Infantry Regiment

No. 7

Second West Prussian Infantry Regiment

No. 8

Foot Guard Regiment

No. 9

Leib* Infantry Regiment (Brandenburg)

No.10

Colberg Infantry Regiment (2nd Pomeranian)

No.11

First Silesian Infantry Regiment

No.12

Second Silesian Infantry Regiment

Note that the Foot Guard Regiment was
numbered in the Line, following the practice of the pre 1807
army.

* Leib, untranslatable literally,
carries the same meaning as 'Life' as in 'Life Guards'. In
this context it implies an elite Infantry Regiment, the
status of which was midway between a Guards Regiment and an
ordinary line unit.

Each regiment consisted of two Musketeer Battalions of four companies
each, equivalent to British Centre Companies; a Fusilier Battalion of
four Companies, used as light troops, and two Grenadier Companies, grouped
in independent Battalions.

The total strength of a battalion was approximately 750,
all ranks. In addition, a third Musketeer Battalion existed
but these seem to have acted in a training rôle before
1813.

The occupation of East Prussia had been followed by the
call-up of the Rserves in that province. As they were
mobilized before the main body of Reservists, their titles
were slightly different and were later changed:

The battalions established in the rest of Prussia, and
the East Prussian Battalions raised on the declaration of
war with France were given the title of Reserve Musketeer
Battalions, eg, 1st Reserve Musketeer Battalion, 2nd
Silesian Infantry Regiment No 11. The only exception was the
Brandenburg Reserve Battalion, which was retitled
'I Reserve (Musketeer) Battalion, Leib Infantry.

In contrast to their titles, the organisation of Reserve
Battalions was relatively simple. Each Regular Regiment
became the Stamm or parent Regiment to several
Reserve Battalions, formed partly of Reservists who had
served in its ranks and partly of raw recruits. (It was
impossible for them to be composed entirely of experienced
men, for the reasons outlined in the previous section.) To
mould this collection of men into units, the Stamm
Regiments supplied a cadre of officers, NCOs and musicians.
In the early part of the 1813 campaign, up to the armistice
of June 4, the Reserve Battalions operated with their
Stamm Regiment. Their men were enthusiastic but many
had little training and they were plagued with shortages of
every kind.

Napoleon's victories at Gross Görschen (or
Lützen) and Bautzen proved indecisive and both sides
welcomed the armistice of June 4 as a chance to build up
strength. While diplomatic pressure was successfully brought
to bear on Austria, the Prussian Landwehr completed
its basic training and was considered ready for action,
swelling the army's ranks yet further. Meanwhile, Britain
had been sending aid in the form of money, arms and
uniforms. While only small numbers of British troops ever
took part in the main struggle against Napoleon, the Royal
Navy ensured a constant flow of subsidies. Many Reservists
acquired proper uniforms in this period -- the War Ministry
also took the opportunity to make some administrative
changes.

On July 1, the Foot Guard Regiment (No 8) was removed
from the line and retitled the First Foot Guard Regiment,
while a Second Foot Guard Regiment was established. In
consequence, Regiments 9 to 12 were renumbered one place
lower. To fill the 12th place, a new 12th Regiment was
created from Reserve Battalions; it was known as the
Brandenburg Infantry Regiment, No 12 and ranked as part of
the Regular Army. [But for the sake of this study will
be considered as a Reserve unit because of its
origin.]

On the same day, thirty-nine Reserve Battalions were officially grouped
into twelve Reserve Regiments, althought the actual union of the attalions
often did not take place immediately. The three Battalions of the Ninth
Reserve Regiment, for example, were not united until August 7. The new
Regiments were usually of three Battalions, like the Regulars, although
the 1st, 3rd and 5th had four - the IV Battalion was usually broken
up and its personnel used to fill up the ranks of the other three. The
Battalions were numbered I - IV. Several Battalions were formally
Reserve Fusilier Battalions; these usually became the III Battalion
of the Regiment, following the example of the Regulars. The Component
Battalions of the 12th Infantry Regiment and the twelve Reserve Regiments
were drawn from various sources.

This organisation was retained by the Reserve Infatry
from the re-opening of hostilities on August 10 to
Napoleon's first abdication. During this period, the French
were driven from Germany, and Prussia regained her
territories around Magdeburg and Westphalia, bringing in
more recruits. By the end of the War, the Army consisted of
four categories of troops: regulars, Reservists,
Volunteers and Landwehr. Hard campaigning had taken a
toll of men, uniforms and equipment; a period of recovery
was long overdue.

While the Congress of Vienna debated a peace settlement,
the Prussian Army was given a thorough 'overhaul'. On
September 25 1814, Von Boyen's Conscription Laws introduced
universal peace time service, first with the rgulars and
then witht eh Landwehr. Now that Prussia had regained
her territories, and acquired new ones laong the Rhine, a
large Rular Amry was needed, and the Reserve Infantry
Regiments became Regular units on March 25 1814 and Infantry
Regiments Nos 13-24. The titles assigned to them and
Regiment No 12 were as follows:

No 12

2nd Brandenburg Infantry Regiment

No 13

3rd Silesian Infantry Regiment (ex 1st RIR)

No 14

3rd Pomeranian Infantry Regiment (ex 2nd
RIR)

No 15

4th Silesian Infantry Regiment (ex 3rd RIR)

No 16

3rd West Prussian Infantry Regiment (ex 4th
RIR)

No 17

4th West Prussian Infantry Regiment (ex 5th
RIR)

No 18

1st Westphalian Infantry Regiment (ex 6th
RIR)

No 19

2nd Westphalian Infantry Regiment (ex 7th
RIR)

No 20

3rd Brandenburg Infantry Regiment (ex 8th
RIR)

No 21

4th Pomeranian Infantry Regiment (ex 9th
RIR)

No 22

1st Rhineland Infantry Regiment (ex 10th
RIR)

No 23

2nd Rhineland Infantry Regiment (ex 11th
RIR)

No 24

4th Brandenburg Infantry Regiment (ex 12th
RIR)

By this time, the army had mobilized again, as Napoleon
had escaped from Elba. Regiment No 12 and all the ex-Reserve
units except the 13th, 16th, 17th and 20th Regiments took
part in the Waterloo campaign. The 18th Regiment suffered
the heaviest casualties of any Prussian Infantry unit: 21
officers, 49 NCOs and 740 men killed or wounded -- and
gained 33 Iron Crosses in one afternoon's fighting round
Placenoit. They and the 15th Regiment, committed straight
from an exhausting cross-country march against fresh troops
of the Imperial Guard, bore the brunt of the struggle and it
was fitting that the ex-Reservists should have a rôle
on the final victory.